IUPUI Center for Economic Education wins statewide award

  • Sept. 25, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS -- The IUPUI Center for Economic Education has won the 2013 Peter V. Harrington Award for University Centers from the Indiana Council for Economic Education and its executive committee.

The center -- part of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and directed by senior lecturer in economics Mohammad Kaviani with support from program coordinator Terri Crews -- works with Indiana schools to help students become better decision-makers, more knowledgeable consumers and productive citizens.

To accomplish this task, the center works with K-12 educators to improve their understanding of economics and personal finance and provides them with teaching strategies that can be easily integrated into their classroom instruction.

“I firmly believe that developing an economic way of thinking is like learning a foreign language: the younger the better. We need to tackle economic illiteracy early and persistently both in and outside the classroom,” Kaviani said. “The center plays a vital role in helping Central Indiana teachers, students and area residents take a common sense approach to economics.

 “The center facilitates programs that engage teachers at all grade levels, on a variety of topics, and helps them learn how to implement economics into their existing curricula. Last year’s programs included workshops on basic economics and personal finance concepts; the role of economics in energy and environmental policy; using children’s literature to teach economics; and the impact and outcome of the recent financial crisis. The center also coordinated two high school competitions: the Economics Challenge and the Personal Finance Challenge. These programs, along with the center’s efforts to build a stronger relationship with teachers in Indianapolis Public Schools, were highlights last year."

The Indiana Council for Economic Education commended the Center for Economic Education for its K-12 professional development and student-focused programs offered during the 2012-13 school year. The Harrington Judging Committee praised the center for its continued high level of programming, the increase in the number of teachers and students who participated in those programs, and the variety of economic education opportunities it made available to teachers and students last year.

“There are 11 Centers for Economic Education statewide in Indiana, and I’m very pleased that the IUPUI center is receiving this year’s Harrington Award,” said William Blomquist, dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts.

The Harrington Award was presented at an event at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum on Sept. 20. The honor comes with a $3,000 award funded by Duke Realty.

The Center for Economic Education is at 425 University Blvd., CA 511, Indianapolis. For more information, call 317-274-8100.

Mohammad Kaviani

Mohammad Kaviani

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Diane Brown
Genevieve Shaker